Dr. Michelassi Named President of the Society of Surgical Oncology Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital are pleased to announce that Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at NYP/Weill Cornell Medical Center is the newly elected President of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), the premier national and international professional organization for the field. The announcement was made at the SSO’s 62nd Annual Cancer Symposium in Phoenix, AZ in March, 2009.

Fabrizio Michelassi, M.D., F.A.C.S., is an internationally recognized expert in the surgical treatment of pancreatic, gastric, colon and rectal cancers. He has pioneered the development of important new techniques that ensure better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients with rectal cancers and has written extensively on surgical treatment and clinical outcomes for patients with colorectal and pancreatic cancers.

A prolific author of more than 200 papers, book chapters and abstracts, Dr. Michelassi serves on the editorial board of seven prestigious professional journals including the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Surgery, The British Journal of Surgery, the World Journal of Gastroenterology, the Annals of Surgery and Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Michelassi is a member of more than 40 professional societies in the United States and abroad. In addition to his role as President of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Dr. Michelassi has served as President of the Illinois Surgical Society, the Western Surgical Society and the Central Surgical Association, and as vice president of the International Society of Digestive Surgery. He is currently the secretary of the Society of Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the representative from the American Surgical Association to the Advisory Council for General Surgery of the American College of Surgeons and a director of the American Board of Surgery.

He has earned numerous awards for his innovative contributions to advancing the treatment of digestive diseases, including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Award, the American Cancer Society Cancer Development Award, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.

Dr. Michelassi’ selected bibliography on gastrointestinal cancer treatment and outcome:

Colon and rectal cancer
1. Michelassi F, Block GE, Vannucci L, Montag A, Chappell R: 5- to 21-year follow-up and analysis of 250 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma. Ann Surg 208(3):379-389, 1988

2. Michelassi F, Vannucci L, Ayala JJ, Chappell R, Goldberg R, Block GE: Local recurrence after curative resection of colorectal adenocarcinoma . Surgery 108(4):787-793, 1990
3. Michelassi F, Ayala JJ, Balestracci T, Goldberg R, Chappell R, Block GE: Verification of a new clinicopathologic staging system for colorectal adenocarcinoma. Ann Surg 213(7):11-18, 1991
4. Michelassi F: Sphincter-saving procedures for rectal adeno carcinoma. Hepatogastroenterology 39(3):193, 1992
5. Michelassi F, Block GE: Morbidity and mortality of wide pelvic lymphadenectomy for rectal adenocarcinoma. Dis Colon Rectum 35(12):1143-1147, 1992
6. Arenas RB, Fichera A, Mhoon D, Michelassi F: Total mesenteric excision in the surgical treatment of rectal cancer: a prospective study. Arch Surg 133:608-612, 1998
7. Fichera A, Melis M, Michelassi F: Prospective assessment of functional results after proctectomy with coloanal anastomosis. J Gastrointest Surgery 5:153-157, 2001
   
   Gastric cancer

8. Michelassi F, Takanishi DM, Pantalone D, Hart J, Chappell R, Block GE: Analysis of clinicopathologic prognostic features in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Surgery 116(4): 804-810, 1994
   
   Pancreatic cancer

9. Michelassi F, Erroi F, Dawson PJ, Pietrabissa A, Noda S, Handcock M, Block GE: Experience with 647 consecutive tumors of the duodenum, ampulla, head of the pancreas and distal common bile duct. Ann Surg 210(4):544-556, 1989
10. Pedrazzoli S, DiCarlo V, Dionigi R, Mosca F, Pederzoli P, Pasquali C, Kloppel G, Dhaene K, Michelassi F: Standard versus extended lymphadenectomy associated with pancreati coduodenectomy in the surgical treatment of adenocarcinoma in the head of the pancreas: a multicenter, prospective, randomized study. Ann Surg 228(4):508-517, 1998
11. Pedrazzoli S, Michelassi F: Extent of lymphadenectomy in the surgical treatment of adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas. J Gastrointest Surg 4:229-230, 2000
12. Farnell MB, Aranha GV, Nimura Y, Michelassi F: The role of extended lymphadenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas: Strength of the evidence. J Gastrointestinal Surg 12(4): 651-656, 2008